Fast flush valves are used in catheter systems in which the blood pressure of a patient is monitored. A typical catheter system includes a saline solution source that is connected by tubing to an inlet of a fast flush valve and an outlet of the valve is connected to a pressure transducer. Downstream of the pressure transducer, a three way stopcock is typically connected by tubing between the pressure transducer and a catheter that is inserted in the patient. This catheter system permits the flow of saline solution from the source through the valve, transducer, and stopcock to the catheter and then the patient.
A capillary mounted within the fast flush valve reduces the saline solution flow to a drip rate that prevents the blood of the patient at the catheter insertion site from clotting. Thus, the saline solution in the tubing connecting the pressure transducer to the catheter remains in fluid communication with the blood of the patient. The fluid communication between the saline solution at the pressure transducer with the blood of the patient permits the blood pressure of the patient to be monitored. When a larger volume of saline solution is needed to purge impurities from the system, the valve is actuated to provide a flush flow through the valve which clears the system out.
While the use of fast flush valves within such catheter systems is previously known, these valves have been relatively expensive to produce. Typically these valves require a number of components that require alignment and careful assembly to produce a reliable and fluid tight valve. The manufacturing process of such a valve can be either labor intensive or require intricate machinery to perform the assembling tasks. What is needed is a fast flush valve for use in a catheter system that is simple to construct and inexpensive to make.